In a significant stride towards advancing its textile sector, the Ministry of Textiles in India has greenlit the Startup Guidelines for Technical Textiles. The newly introduced initiative, known as GREAT (Grant for Research and Entrepreneurship across Aspiring Innovators in Technical Textiles), will extend grants of up to INR 50 Lakhs over a span of 18 months. The development was announced by Shri Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary Textiles, during a press conference held in Delhi. This move comes as part of the broader National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) and is poised to invigorate the technical textiles startup ecosystem in the country.
The guidelines hold a special focus on nurturing startups in the field of Technical Textiles, aiming to facilitate the transformation of prototypes into viable technologies, products, and eventual commercialization. The scope of the GREAT Guidelines encompasses various application areas within Technical Textiles, including Agro-textiles, Building-textiles, Geo-textiles, Home-textiles, Medical-textiles, Mobile-textiles, Packaging-textiles, Protective-textiles, and Sports-textiles. Moreover, it underscores the development of High-performance fibers and composites, Sustainable and Recyclable Textile materials, as well as Smart Textiles utilizing cutting-edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, 3D/4D Printing, and Rapid Prototyping.
To foster the startup ecosystem, the Ministry plans to provide an additional 10% of the total grant-in-aid to incubators. This incentive seeks to enhance authenticity and commitment, mandating a minimum investment of 10% from the incubatee to further bolster the project. Notably, the GREAT Guidelines hold potential to fortify India’s technical textiles sector in specialized segments such as Bio-degradable and Sustainable textiles, High-performance & Specialty fibers, and Smart textiles.
Simultaneously, the Ministry has given the green light to 26 institutions for the enhancement of laboratory infrastructure and trainer training in the realms of technical textiles. The move aims to expand the technical textile courses and programs being offered by these institutions. The approved funding, totaling INR 151.02 Crores, is distributed between 15 applications from Public Institutes (valued at INR 105.55 Crores) and 11 applications from Private Institutes (valued at INR 45.47 Crores).
Prominent institutions like IIT Delhi, NIT Jalandhar, NIT Durgapur, NIT Karnataka, NIFT Mumbai, ICT Mumbai, Anna University, PSG College of Technology, and Amity University are among the recipients of this funding. The support will enable them to upgrade existing courses and departments, as well as introduce new degree programs in technical textiles.
In a bid to further strengthen technical textiles education, the Ministry is set to reopen the Guidelines for Enabling of Academic Institutes in Technical Textiles’ Education in India (Round II) under NTTM. This iteration will encompass wider parameters and eligibility criteria, aiming to integrate new courses and papers into the curriculum by the academic year 2025-26.
Quality and regulation within the technical textiles domain are also under scrutiny. The Ministry has already approved 02 Quality Control Orders (QCOs) for 31 Technical Textiles products, including 19 Geotextiles and 12 Protective Textiles, slated to take effect from 7th October 2023. An additional 28 items are being considered for QCOs, which will have a far-reaching impact on the economy, industry, and society at large. To ensure comprehensive insights, the Ministry is actively engaging in multiple stakeholder consultations with industries.
These recent advancements lay the groundwork for India to emerge as a hub of innovation in the field of Technical Textiles, carving a path towards sustainable growth and technological excellence.
